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Board hears detailed short-term rental permit and enforcement proposal
Summary
Staff recommended adding short-term rentals to the zoning code with administrative-permit review, an annual STR business license, safety and occupancy standards, responsible-party response requirements, and escalating penalties; board members and residents debated fees, transferability, enforcement and whether STRs should be permitted in residential districts.
Hope Sullivan, director of economic and community development, told the board she recommends adding "short-term rental" to the zoning table and using an administrative permit reviewed by the hearings officer rather than an over-the-counter entitlement or a full special-use permit. Sullivan said the administrative process allows routing to departments (fire, health, public works) and site visits to verify bedroom counts and that proposed standards can be attached to the permit.
Sullivan proposed a one-time administrative-permit fee (existing at $750) plus a new short-term rental business-license category with an annual fee (staff suggested $500). She recommended core standards including: the unit must be a dwelling (not a garage or RV); only one STR per parcel; occupancy capped at two persons per bedroom as verified by field inspections; a responsible party must be able to respond within 30 minutes for code complaints; no amplified outdoor music during quiet hours (suggested 10 p.m.7 a.m.); annual fire/public-health inspections as required; TOT remittance evidence at renewal; and penalties escalating from $500 to $1,000 per day with suspension or revocation for repeated violations.
Supervisors pressed staff on enforcement burden and whether code-enforcement officers can perform annual checks versus fire or health staff; staff said the city could train compliance officers to verify basic safety items and rely on fire/health for more specialized inspections. Several residents who testified urged strict limits on STRs in single-family neighborhoods and asked that penalties and enforcement be consistent and clear. Sullivan noted that Douglas County (nearby) operates a larger program and advised staff will return with draft ordinance language and a proposed implementation timetable.
Next steps: staff will refine draft code language, including clearer standards for occupancy, required inspections, transfer and renewal fees, and enforcement provisions, and bring the ordinance back for hearings and public input.
